This invention relates to a lower bearing for supporting an end of a driveshaft for a compressor, wherein oil flow holes leading through the bearing are positioned adjacent to a magnet mount.
Compressors are utilized to compress a refrigerant in refrigerant cycle applications. Typically, these compressors are mounted within a sealed housing. An oil supply is also included within the housing, to lubricate the rotating shafts, etc.
A shaft is typically driven by a motor, and then drives a compressor pump unit to compress the refrigerant. The typical shaft mount as has been utilized in the past has a bearing mount extending radially inwardly from a central housing. The shaft is mounted within that bearing mount. More recently it has been proposed to mount the bearing on an end cap of the housing. Passages to supply oil upwardly to the shaft and to the compressor pump unit are typically formed through the type of bearing mount mounted on the end cap.
It has also been proposed in the standard type of compressor bearing mount to provide a magnet at a predictable location on the end cap such that the magnet will attract metal debris from the lubricant, prior to it reaching the compressor pump unit, or other moving surfaces in the compressor. Often there are loose metallic debris pieces in the housing. The pieces may be formed by the welding operation to initially seal the compressor, or may be formed with wear. The magnet""s purpose is to remove those pieces from the lubricant. Typically, a magnet has been positioned at a non-set location, such as by simply dropping it onto the end cap. However, it has been recently proposed to mount the magnet at a location on to structure from the end cap.
In the disclosed embodiment of this invention, a bearing for an end of a sealed compressor shaft is secured to an end cap of the sealed compressor. Oil flow holes for supplying oil into the bearing extend through the bearing mount. A magnet is mounted outwardly of the bearing mount. Thus, the bearing mount supplies the structure for holding the magnet at a preset position. Preferably, the oil flow holes are positioned to be immediately above the magnet such that the magnet will be in the best position to remove the great majority of the metallic debris from the oil flowing into the holes.
Also, the mount is preferably welded to the end cap at a location inwardly of the magnet. Thus, the magnet will block the weld splatter from even reaching the lubricant.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawing.